In general, personal care articles should comfortably fit the body of a wearer. Personal care articles generally have fastening tabs at the rear of the personal care article that extend outwardly and secure to a front portion of the article. For the personal care article to be effective, the fastening tabs should be properly placed on the front portion of the personal care article.
In the past there has been little thought or concern as to the positioning of the fastening tabs with respect to the front edge of the personal care article. One conventional approach to the subject of tab placement includes a pattern of dots or vertically oriented lines. The dots or lines enable a user to ensure that both fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article at approximately the same distance from the center of the front portion. After the first fastening tab is secured, the indicia can be utilized to secure the second fastening tab at a corresponding location, horizontally, on the opposing side of the article. Thus the leg openings are ensured of being approximately the same size. Such indicia assist the user in placing the two fastening tabs approximately the same height relative to the front edge of the front portion of the personal care article. However, there is no specific indicia indicating a specific selected location for the fastening tabs relative to the front edge of the front portion of the personal care article.
Proper positioning of a personal care article on a wearer can be difficult. Personal care articles, for example, can be difficult to properly position on the intended wearer due to leg movements or body movements of the wearer. Such movement creates difficulty in affixing the fastening tabs at proper locations. If the fastening tabs are placed too high on the front portion of the personal care article, part of the securing portion may extend beyond the front edge of the front portion of the article, and thus may contact and irritate the skin of the wearer. Such improper placement can also cause improper leg fit and create leg gapping which potentially may cause leakage.
In the instance when the fastenings tabs are placed too low on the front portion of the absorbent article, the leg openings tend to be drawn too tightly, at least at the top front portion of the leg opening. Further, the front edge of the personal care article may roll or gap at the waist due to the lower positions of the fastening tabs. Rolling up of the personal care article can cause discomfort to the wearer and could result in waist gapping and leakage. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the fastening tabs are secured on the front portion of the personal care article at a selected predetermined distance from the front edge.
Further, it is preferred, for proper fit, that the fastening tabs are drawn directly across the front portion of the personal care article, and placed at a proper angle to the front edge. An improper angle can cause twisting of the fastening tab, and improper fit for the personal care article.